Although Lovers Be Lost
by angelsinstead
Summary: Vincent and Catherine celebrate the one year anniversary of the night he saved her in the park.   They fall even deeper in love and deal with the consequences of not being able to be truly together.
1. An Introduction

Author's Note: This is the love story of Vincent and Catherine. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the T.V. show "Beauty and the Beast", yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all the parts of this story will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot. First and foremost, this story is a romance/drama, not a sex story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own "Beauty and the Beast" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

~*~Introduction~*~

Vincent : This is where the wealthy and the powerful rule. It is her world... a world apart from mine. Her name... is Catherine. From the moment I saw her, she captured my heart with her beauty, her warmth, and her courage. I knew then, as I know now, she would change my life... forever.

Catherine: He comes from a secret place, far below the city streets, hiding his face from strangers, safe from hate and harm. He brought me there to save my life... and now, wherever I go, he is with me, in spirit. For we have a bond stronger than friendship or love. And although we cannot be together, we will never, ever be apart.

(April 12, 1987 ~ New York City)

Catherine Chandler was celebrating. One year ago tonight, she had been cruelly slashed across the face with a knife and left for dead in Central Park. The three men who attacked her had mistaken her for someone else, a woman named Carol who had gotten mixed up in some shady, criminal business. Catherine had tried to tell them she wasn't Carol and that they had nabbed the wrong woman, but they wouldn't listen - instead they took a ten inch, razor-sharp blade and had carved several ziggzagging wouunds across her cheeks and forehead. Then they carelessly tossed her out of a speeding van, hoping she would lie there and bleed to death in the deserted park.

But Catherine didn't die. She didn't bleed to death. Instead she was discovered by Vincent, a man who could only enter her wold by cover of darkness because of his appearance. Vincent had gathered her up in his arms, taking her to his home, a world far below Central Park and New York City where Catherine made her home. Vincent and the man he called Father nursed Catherine's wounds. It was Father who stitched Catherine's face for he had been a doctor in the world Above. She awakened in Vincent's bed, weak and frightened, yet unable to see him because of the bandages. He spoke to her gently, reading to her from worn, leather book, his voice soothing and beautiful, and to Catherine the sound of his incredible voice could only belong to that of an equally handsome man.

But when the bandages came away, Catherine discovered Vincent's true appearance, and for a moment she reacted violently, appalled by his giant claws, his gleaming, pointed teeth, and the lion-like fur which covered his nearly seven-foot frame. It was the heartrending pain that crossed his face, that shadow of sadness in his all too human-like blue eyes that ripped fiercely into Cathy's heart and left her sobbing. She wept with regret for having shunned him because of his unusual face. She had known in her heart that he was the one who saved her and had treated her with the greatest of care, yet still she had lashed out at him cruelly for being what he was, what he had never chosen to be. Bitter sorrow tore at her soul when she remembered throwing a sharp metal reflector at his head, causing him to bleed. How could she have been so viscious to the one who had protected and healed her, to the one who had saved her life?

Since then she had long ago apologized, but yet when she recalled how she had first reacted when first seeing his face, it still brought her shame. Now, to her, there was no other face as beautiful as Vincent's, for she had came to love him one year ago when he had risked his hidden world and his own life just to save hers. It was that love story she would celebrate this night, it being the one year anniversary of his finding her in the park.

He had given her the greatest gift of all, her life, and had shown her strength and courage within that she hadn't even known she possessed. It was that strength and courage that kept her sane in a world apart from Vincent's, for he could not enter her world and deep down they both knew that she did not belong in his... 


	2. Longing

Author's Note: This is the love story of Vincent and Catherine. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the T.V. show "Beauty and the Beast", yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all the parts of this story will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot. First and foremost, this story is a romance/drama, not a sex story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own "Beauty and the Beast" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

~*~Longing~*~

"Catherine, I am here," Vincent spoke in his deep, beautiful voice, stepping over the brick wall of Catherine's balcony, his ebony cloak blowing in the cool breeze.

Cathy wore a long white dress accented in delicate blue lace. She looked beautiful as the scars on her face had been repaired with plastic surgery several months ago. She was even lovelier in candlelight, for soft music and glowing candles were part of the mood she had created this night. The tender music of Chopin played on a nearby stereo. The comforting melody soothed Vincent's senses as it was especially appealling to his overly-acute hearing.

"Vincent," Cathy whispered, gliding into his embrace and pressing her cheek to his steady heartbeat.

He looked into her jewel-like green eyes in the candle-glow as they slowly drew apart. "I've missed you so," she said, still whispering.

"I know. I've felt your longing."

That had been the gift he had been given. Ever since the night he had saved her life, they had shared a special bond. He had been blessed with the ability to sense her thoughts, her feelings, at times her words before she could even speak them. When danger threatened, he could feel it, and more than once he had come to her rescue when her work at the District Attorney's office had led her into violent situations. It had been Vincent who had come to her aid when her attacker's had made a second attempt on her life. He had ripped them to shreds with his giant claws, mauling them relentlessly with his deadly teeth. Then he had gathered Catherine up into his arms, comforting her with the infinite tenderness he had for her.

"One year ago tonight... one year ago, you saved my life... and you showed me what it is to love," spoke Catherine.

He took her hand in his, pressing it to the beat of his heart. She watched his expressive eyes darken from the warmth of her touch. "It's you who has captured my heart," he said huskily. His hand was so big, so large and powerful, that it caused Catherine to melt inside when he touched her.

Her fingers caressed the silken fur of his palm, slowing tracing over the flesh and golden hair on the back of his hand. "I want to be with you, Vincent. I want to come Below tonight."

Slowly then, he disengaged his hand from hers, and she felt him carefully putting distance between their bodies, until they were now just inches from touching. "You know that cannot be. You belong here, Catherine. You know that."

A flash of pain cut across her face, taking the smile from her eyes for just an instant. "Yes. If only..."

"Someday, Catherine. Someday, our dream will be a reality."

Their dream...their dream was to be together, truly together in every sense of the word. "I know what you say is true. Yet at times...I find it difficult to remain patient."

He didn't speak for a few moments, as though he were letting her words, her feelings take shape inside his heart. "We must have the courage, the strength to control our deepest desires. We cannot act to those feelings yet. To do so might just be disasterous."

The look in his eyes spoke of silent warning, and something told Catherine she should be afraid, but she wasn't. Vincent had shown her nothing but tenderness, his inhuman strength only unleashed when he had been giving her his protection. She was certain he would never intentionally harm her. If only Vincent himself could be as certain as she was.

She wanted to say something; to protest, but that sad, faraway look on his face stopped her words. She did not want to torment him, to push him into something he was not yet able to give. She smiled softly, raising her hand to lovingly caress his cheek. Her fingers trembled, but it had nothing to do with fear.

"This night is beautiful. I'm glad you could share it with me." The gorgeous smile had returned to her eyes and for that, Vincent was glad.

"I've brought something for you. A gift."

Her eyes widened. A gift? "You've already given me the greatest gift of all. My life; your love-."

He reached into the worn pocket of his wool cloak, withdrawing a long silver chain. Cathy gasped at the shiny rectangular prism which dangled from the chain. It was no larger than her index finger, but gave beautiful rays of color as it gleamed in the candlelight. As he lifted her dark-blond hair and placed the chaine around her neck with tenderness, rainbow shimmers touched the white fabric of Catherine's dress.

"Vincent, it's beautiful," she spoke, caressing the prism with the love she felt for him. He watched as tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill.

"I found it Below... in a forgotten cavern. It reminded me of your beauty. So I had it made into a necklace."

A tear slowly trailed down her cheek, reminding him of the terrible cuts which had made bloody paths down her face one year ago. "How can I say thank you? You've given me... everything. Vincent, I have no gift for you..."

"Catherine," he sighed deeply, drawing her close and gazing into her eyes. "I already have your gift. Your heart."  
> <p>


	3. Sorrow

Author's Note: This is the love story of Vincent and Catherine. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the T.V. show "Beauty and the Beast", yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all the parts of this story will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot. First and foremost, this story is a romance/drama, not a sex story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own "Beauty and the Beast" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

~*~Sorrow~*~

Summer came. Beautiful birds came to rest on the brick wall of Catherine's balcony during the early morning, singing sweet, tender songs, but she always found herself longing for the night and sweet stolen moments she had with Vincent whenever he dared to come to her side.

One morning Cathy awakened, and the voices of the birds could not soothe the fiery ache that burned in her heart. She had dreamt she had been a child and the tender sound of her mother's lullaby left her content as she lay upon her pink canopy bed clutching her lovely china doll. She awakened sobbing, her heart aching, knowing she would never again see her mother's gentle face, nor hear her calming voice. Twenty years ago today, her mother had died. "Mother," she whimpered softly, her throat aching so. God, how she needed Vincent now. If only he were able to comfort her now... if only she could have his arms around her.

Her father arrived an hour later, his own face shadowed with sorrow from the significance of what this day meant. He had loved Cathy's mother deeply and losing her had nearly broken him. "Daddy," Cathy sobbed like a child, like the ten-year-old girl she had been when her mother had died. "Thanks for coming." Charles Chandler took his daughter into his arms, holding her close and wishing he could ease her grief. His own anguish was more than he could bear.

"Ahhh, Cathy," Charles said as he held his daughter in his tight embrace on the couch. "Don't do this to yourself. Your mother wouldn't want you to be so sad."

Catherine looked up at her father with tear-filled eyes. "That's why I am crying, Dad. I don't know what Mother would have wanted for me. Would she be happy with how my life turned out? Would she be proud of me?"

"Of course she would, darling. You are a very successful young woman."

"Success isn't everything, Dad," Catherine said. "Sometimes I miss her. I miss her SO much."

"So do I, honey. So do I," Charles replied as he gently brushed away Catherine's tears.

Vincent came just as the sun had sunk over the horizon. Cathy ran into his arms, her tears flowing anew. "What is it?" he asked, his blue eyes shining with concern. "I've felt your sadness, as a knife in my own heart this entire day."

She looked up at him with leaf-green eyes. "Twenty years ago, my mother died. I was only ten. She was sick a very long while, but I never let myself believe she would actually die. But she did... and I miss her so very much."

Vincent pulled her close to him once again, feeling her tears soak through the fabric of his shirt, wetting the fur of his chest. He had to take away her pain; it was killing him.

"Catherine," he spoke softly, his warm breath brushing across her ear. "Your heart cries for more than your mother."

"You know me too well."

She pulled back from his embrace, moving to gaze over the balcony wall at the city below. Her body trembled as she struggled to speak, to find the words.

"Tell me what is in your heart, Catherine," Vincent urged.

She spun around to meet his gaze. "Vincent, my mother wanted me to have a happy life. And at times, I wonder... I wonder about the joys I may be missing."

A shadow of intense pain crossed Vincent's face, ripping into Catherine's soul. She hadn't meant to wound him with her words. "What we have is keeping you from those things you feel could bring you happiness," he spoke.

"What we have is incredible," she said urgently. "The moments I have had with you have been the best I have ever known."

"Yet when you think of your mother, when you are missing her, you are missing the family you used to have with her and your Father. You miss being a part of a family," Vincent concluded.

"You have that. With Father and the others Below. I could have that, too... if... I came Below."

"Your world is here, Catherine. Your heart belongs here."

His words were tender, but they cut into her soul like a dagger. "Please, Vincent," she pleaded. "Let me go with you tonight. Give me a chance to know your world."

"In time, but not tonight."

After Vincent had left, Catherine made a decision. Her good friend from college, Nancy Tucker had invited her to visit her home in the country for a few days. It was their friend Jenny Aronsen's birthday, and they were planning a party for her. Nancy's husband and children would be there, along with Jenny's current boyfriend. And Nancy had mentioned inviting David Rawlings, a man Catherine had been seeing in college. Cathy decided to go to Jenny's and try to make some sense of her tormented feelings and complicated life. Perhaps in the serenity of the country, the troubles of her life may somehow work themselves out.

Cathy tried to have fun at Nancy's house as she played in the yard with Nancy's two small, adorable children and helped Nancy with preparations for Jenny's party. But when David arrived at Nancy's, and his hand innocently touched hers across the supper table, she felt suddenly as if her soul had been set aflame.

She ended up excusing herself early, mumbling something about a headache. She crawled into the guest-bed and instantly went to sleep. It was then that she had the dream...

She and Vincent were walking on a path in the park, and the light of the sun shone down brillliantly in the blue of his eyes. "I had no idea that the sun would be this hot," he said, as his arm twined with hers.

Her soul soared. Vincent was here, with her, in the light of day, and their dream was coming true! She lead him across the park, to a secluded area where they had planned to share a picnic lunch. They sat down on a blanket with a basket of food and tall glasses of white wine.

"Ohhh Vincent. I'm so happy. I'm so happy when I'm with you," she said, gazing into his tender eyes, her own going closed as their lips began to meet.

Something jolted her, and her eyes burst open abruptly and she discovered then that it wasn't Vincent she was about to kiss, but David. Catherine gasped in confusion when she looked up to see Vincent walking away, leaving her there on the blanket with David.

"Vincent! No!" she called out, but he did not return.

He was leaving her life... again...

She sat up in bed with a start, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. And then Nancy was there, looking at Cathy with great concern. "Cathy, it's okay. It was only a dream," her friend soothed. Cathy threw herself into Nancy's arms and began to sob.

"I'm so sorry," Catherine spoke. "I don't mean to put a damper on the party... it's just that I've been so sad lately... with the anniversary of my mother's death... and Vincent-."

"Who's Vincent?" asked Nancy.

"He's- He's the man I've been seeing."

"You haven't mentioned him."

"I know."

"C'mon, Cathy. Why all the mystery?"

"Because... because it has to be that way," Catherine replied. "I'm sorry. I just... can't talk about what Vincent and I have."

"Is he married?"

"No!" Cathy gasped.

"Good. Will I ever meet him?"

"Perhaps... someday," said Catherine with a smile. "Hey, can I borrow your car? There's somewhere I must go... someone I definitely need to get back to."

"Cathy! It's four in the morning!"

"Is it? Ohhh well. I promise I will return the car in one piece."

"Sure, take it," Nancy agreed. "And good luck."  
> <p>


	4. Elation

Author's Note: This is the love story of Vincent and Catherine. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the T.V. show "Beauty and the Beast", yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all the parts of this story will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot. First and foremost, this story is a romance/drama, not a sex story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own "Beauty and the Beast" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

~*~Elation~*~

Nancy's car whirled over the country roads at awesome speed as Catherine's heart pumped wildly in her need to return to Vincent. She made the two hour drive in less than an hour and a half. She then parked Nancy's red Dodge on a street close to the park and ran quickly to the tunnel that would take her to Vincent. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks when she neared the tunnel's entrance. Vincent was there, waiting for her, and she tossed herself into his arms, hitting his chest so hard.

She had knocked the breath from his lungs, and when he finally spoke, his voice was a whisper. "I felt you flying... flying back to me." He sounded amazed and full of adoration.

"Ohhh, Vincent," was all she could say as he looked up into his eyes for several moments. Hers sparkled with unshed tears as she quivered in his embrace. How she longed at that moment to kiss him! If only... but it wasn't meant to be, so she did so in her mind. In her mind, their lips met for one sweet moment in a butterfly-soft, tender kiss. In actuality, Vincent pulled her to him in a rough hug, taking the very breath from her body.

Suddenly Cathy was reminded of the lines from a poem Vincent had read to her not that long ago. It was a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelly which was called "Verses of Epipsychidion."

"...True love in this differs from gold or clay.  
>That to divide is not to take away..."<p>

~*~o~*~

Fall arrived and Catherine found herself so immersed in her work at the District Attorney's office that her precious times with Vincent were few and far between. On one chilly November evening as Cathy stood washing her supper dishes, there was a slight tapping sound on the balcony which alerted her that Vincent had come to her. She quickly shut off the water, pulled on a knit sweater, and went to the French doors in eagerness to share whatever time Vincent would be able to spend with her.

"Vincent, I'm so happy to see you!" she breathed, but the smile fled from her face seeing the serious expression which darkened his.

"Vincent, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

He looked at her as though he were finding it difficult to push the words passed his throat. "Catherine, there is something I must ask of you. There is a woman I once... knew... she used to live Below, but now lives Above. There is a message I would have you give her."

"Who is this woman?" Cathy asked, and it would seem she was asking for more than just the woman's name.

Vincent began to speak, telling Catherine that the woman's name was Lisa Campbell and that she was an accomplished ballerina. He also added that Lisa had entered the world above some ten years earlier and just recently he had been given a message to meet her Below in a special place, but when Vincent had waited for her there, she did not come. Vincent was worried that something unfortanate may have happened to Lisa, making her unable to meet with Vincent in the special place she had designated.

"Find her if you can. See that she is alright, and tell her I should like to meet with her again."

"She's performing in 'Giselle' this weekend," said Catherine as she had heard the name Lisa Campbell due to her fame as a ballerina. "It shouldn't be too hard to pull a few strings and get backstage to speak to her."

"Thank you, Catherine. You don't know what this means to me."

Suddenly Catherine wanted to ask, *So what exactly does SHE mean to you?* but the words were a painful barrier in her throat, seeming too ugly to be spoken.

"I'll do what I can," she promised, her breath a misty puff in the frigid autumn air.

~*~o~*~

Saturday evening, after the ballet, Catherine somehow managed to worm her way backstage into Lisa Campbell's dressing-room. She slipped passed Lisa's bodyguard and tiptoed in unannounced. Lisa looked initially surprised and then stunned when Cathy stated her business. "I'm here for Vincent. He wanted me to tell you he would like to see you again. He came to meet you the other night in the place you asked him to, but you didn't come and he was concerned."

"Please tell Vincent-," Lisa began, but her words were cut off when her burly, blond, handsome bodyguard, Collin stepped into the room, an angry glare on his face.

"Who the hell is this?" he demanded harshly, looking at Catherine with naked aversion.

"Ohhh Collin, this is... an old friend of mine from- from college."

"Hi. I'm Cathy Chandler," Catherine introduced herself pleasantly, offering her hand but he refused it rudely.

"Is that so?" he asked suspicously. "Well, I think she better go. You know your husband dislikes you to be too friendly with anyone during your tours abroad."

"Yes, Collin. Cathy was just leaving. Weren't you, Cathy?" Lisa asked, laughing a bit nervously.

"Ahhh, yes. Gotta go," Cathy spoke with a sigh.

"Maybe we can have lunch before you return to Europe?" Catherine suggested.

"Lunch would be fine. Thank you for dropping by."

~*~o~*~

All it took was a little prodding, and Catherine knew much more on Lisa Campbell, her husband Alain Campbell, and even her hateful bodyguard, Collin. Joe spilled all he knew over a hot beef sandwich and bitter coffee at Drew's Place, a cafe catty-corner from the office. "What all the concern about the Campbell woman, Radcliffe?" Joe asked, between huge gobbles of roast beef and thick bread.

"Just a lead I'm trying to follow," Cathy said evasively, wincing over the acrid taste of the coffee.

"Huhhhh," Joe grunted. "I can always tell when you are up to something, Chandler."

~*~o~*~

That night, in the tunnels, Cathy relayed all that she had discovered to Vincent. "Lisa's involved with someone. A man... her husband. His name is Alain. I have a feeling that he and her bodyguard, a man named Collin, are somehow keeping her from meeting with you. I think they are hiding something."

"Do you think they are restraining her from coming to me?"

"Vincent, this bodyguard Collin is a very evil man. I think Lisa is very afraid of him."

"I must help her. I must stop them from harming her. I need to find out what she so urgently wanted to see me about."

"Vincent, I fear for you. I fear for your life. Lisa started to give me a message for you, but then Collin arrived and she was cut off."

"Thank you, Catherine, but you know I must help Lisa if she is need," Vincent said as he started to walk away into a tunnel leading Below. But Catherine grasped the strength of his arm, her eyes seeking his.

"Vincent... wait. You must tell me why this means so much to you. Why are you so intent on helping this woman? Why was it Lisa left the world Below?"

"Because I loved her," Vincent replied, great pain in his voice. He then turned to go, leaving Catherine standing there stunned in the semi-darkness.


	5. My Hands

Author's Note: This is the love story of Vincent and Catherine. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the T.V. show "Beauty and the Beast", yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all the parts of this story will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot. First and foremost, this story is a romance/drama, not a sex story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own "Beauty and the Beast" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

~*~My Hands~*~

The following day, Catherine did further research on Alain Campbell and Lisa's bodyguard, Collin Gray. Legal files revealed that Alain Campbell was knee-deep in international espionage and several other illegal transactions. It was only a matter of time before the FBI caught up with him. Nothing came up on Gray, but Cathy guessed that Alain had hired the so-called 'bodyguard' to keep Lisa from revealing his criminal dealings and his secret whereabouts. The FBI had been searching for him meticulously for 18 months now. The files also indicated that Lisa Campbell had repeatedly refused to divulge any information regarding her husband's alleged misconduct or place of hiding.

Cathy was just about to leave the office to go home when the phone rang at her desk. Her mind was spinning with all she had just learned about Lisa Campbell and her husband. She wasn't sure she felt like talking to anyone just then. "Hello," she sighed, placing her ear to the receiver.

"Cathy," a familiar voice said.

"Elliot?" she said, her heart doing a flip-flop. It had been nearly five years since she had spoken to her ex-husband.

"I'm in New York City, and I need to see you." Just like Elliot, avoiding small talk and coming straight to the point.

"I-I don't know," Catherine said in a soft voice. "I'm working on a very important case right now."

There was a pause on the other end of the line that spanned several heartbeats. "There's unfinished business between us, Cathy. You know it, and I know it. I'll call you in a few days and then we can get together."

"Elliot-," she had started to protest, but he had already hung up the phone. "Damn," she cursed, her hand trembling as she replaced the receiver. "Elliot Burke... just what I needed."

~*~o~*~

Catherine returned home, but the phone call from Elliot still had her in a bad state. When Vincent arrived just before she went to bed, he gave her a knowing look, but said nothing. "I've discovered more about Lisa and her husband. Alain Campbell is involved in many criminal acts. Lisa may be in grave danger."

"It is just as I have feared," Vincent spoke, as he looked out at the lights of the city.

Catherine reached out to touch his hand with hers as he rested it upon the brick wall of the balcony wall. His eyes suddenly moved to take in hers. "Vincent, please... We have never kept secrets from one another in the past. You must talk to me about this."

"Catherine, I cannot," he said, his words laced with pain.

"Vincent, there is nothing you can't say to me. Nothing you cannot tell me."

His eyes were shadowed with unbearable anguish. The agony in his expression made Cathy's own heart beat with pain. "Lisa used to dance for me... long ago. We had a special place we would go... just her and I, and she loved to dance for me. One night it was different... as I watched her dance. She was so beautiful and I-I..."

His words trailed off, but Catherine finished them for him. "And you desired her."

"Yes," he ground out, a single tear rolling down his face.

Catherine caught the tear on her finger. "Vincent, there is no shame in that."

"Yes, there is, Catherine," he said thickly, holding up his clawed hands before her. "These hands... these hands were not meant to give love."

Cathy grasped his hands in hers, pulling him closer to her. "Tell me, Vincent. Tell me what happened that night."

"Lisa... Lisa was dancing and there was music. She was so very beautiful. I just wanted to-to touch her, so I reached for her. She protested, but I held her anyway. She started to cry out, so I held her even tighter. And then- then these hands began to rip through her clothing and into her flesh. There was blood... and Father came..." He stopped then, staring at his hands in hers as though they were deadly vipers about to strike.

Bright tears shone in the green of Catherine's eyes. "Ohhh Vincent," she murmured sadly as he reluctantly met her gaze.

"Now you know, Catherine... you know why these hands weren't meant to give love."

She took his hands and brought them to her lips, kissing each finger tenderly. "These hands are MY hands, Vincent. I love these hands." She wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Your hands would never hurt me. They have shone me only love," she whispered, pressing her cheek to the warmth of his.

He was crying, and she felt his tears scald her face. How she longed to kiss those tears away! Suddenly he pulled back a fraction, and she knew he had read her thoughts.

"Catherine, I must go," he said, his voice steady despite his raining tears.

"Good bye," she said with a sweet smile, pressing one last kiss to his palm. He looked dazzled as he retreated into the shadows.

~*~o~*~

Two days later Lisa went to the police with all she knew about Alain. Alain and Collin were both arrested on various charges. Lisa was protected by police escort and sent to London to further her dancing career. Later, Cathy learned that it was Vincent who had presuaded Lisa to confess all she knew to the police.

"How did Lisa manage to leave Collin's side long enough to come Below?" Catherine asked as she spoke to him in his chamber.

"It wasn't easy. She had to escape through a window."

"I'm glad she is safe."

"Catherine, we must talk..." Vincent said as she watched him begin to pace the floor. "I know there is someone... a man in your life."

"Elliot Burke. My ex-husband. We were married seven years ago. We got a divorce ten months later," Catherine explained, her voice slightly quivering.

"You loved him," Vincent said, stopping in his tracks.

"I-I thought I loved him. I was very young, and he swept me off my feet. Later, I discovered he wasn't what I wanted," she said, biting her lower lip. "I never had with him what I have with you."

"Yet...you have been thinking of meeting with him."

"Vincent, I..." she started, but she knew she could never lie to him. "Yes, if he calls again, I will see him."

"It is just as well," Vincent sighed deeply as he watched the beautiful rays of light filter through the stained glass window above his bed and shine magically upon the prism Catherine wore.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a wounded frown upon her face.

"Not long ago you were heartbroken by all you cannot have...all that you have have sacrificed for our dream. It must end. We cannot continue as we have. You must take the memory of this love, a love that is pure and unending, and use that memory to love someone else," he said, once more beginning to pace.

"No, Vincent. I cannot," she cried out, moving closer so he could not look away. "Do not ask that of me. I could never love another after having loved you."

"You have your world, a world separate from mine. There is nothing left for us."

"I could come Below. I could be with you. I could try!"

"You could not. To do so would mean to leave a part of yourself behind, to give up all you were meant to be. I couldn't let you do that..."

"Then what is left for us, Vincent? How can our dream ever be?"

He watched as she trembled, tears coursing down her face. He wanted to touch her, take her in his arms and comfort her. But he could not. Not now. Now was the time to let her go.

"I cannot stand to see the pain on your face. To know that I am the cause of that pain. I cannot live with that," Vincent spoke, his blue eyes reflecting her sorrow. "I'm asking you to go. Go to Elliot. Let him give you all I cannot."

"Vincent, no!" she sobbed, as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" she cried out, but there was nothing she could do to bring him back.  
> <p>


	6. With You

Author's Note: This is the love story of Vincent and Catherine. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the T.V. show "Beauty and the Beast", yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all the parts of this story will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot. First and foremost, this story is a romance/drama, not a sex story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own "Beauty and the Beast" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

~*~With You~*~

For days, Catherine hardly ate or slept. Vincent hadn't relented. Her mental pleas for him to come to her had gone unanswered. "Vincent, please... don't do this. Don't end this beautiful thing we have together," she whispered into her pillow as she cried herself to sleep.

Below the city, in the quiet darkness, tears rushed down Vincent's own face. He hated hurting Catherine, but he felt it was a necessary pain to help her find permanent happiness. "Go to him, Catherine. Go to him, as you cannot come to me," he spoke in a whisper. One of his sharp nails penetrated his palm as he made a tight fist of frustration. He brought the wound to his lips, tasting his own blood. "This... this is why our dream can never be..."

The phone rang, and Cathy jumped. It was Elliot. She just KNEW it. "Hello," she said, every nerve of her body quaking as she took the call.

"Hello, Cathy. It's me," he said, and her heart began to pound crazily. His voice sent wild flutters through her body. She felt as though the breath had been sucked from her lungs.

"Elliot," she spoke softly. "It's been a week since you called."

"I'm a very busy man, Cathy. I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting. But I'd still very much like to get together with you. How about my penthouse tonight at 7:30?"

Cathy couldn't breathe; she couldn't think. All she kept hearing was Vincent's voice over and over again saying, "Love someone else. Go to Elliot. Let him give you all I cannot."

"Cathy? Cathy, are you still here?" Elliot asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I'm here."

"Are you coming over tonight?"

"I'll be there at 7:30."

~*~o~*~

It was after dark when Vincent came to stand on the balcony. Catherine was away, but he had already sensed that. She had gone to him, just as Vincent had encouraged. "Wherever you are, I am with you. For I am a part of you," he said, his words nearly drowned in the sounds of the city and the tremble of traffic. "You carry me with you, in your heart."

Tears threatened to come again, but he held them back; held them back with the very strength he always used to restrain the desire and passion he felt when embracing Catherine. And often, in this very place, the feel of her innocent, tender kisses had jolted him to the depth of his reserve, reminding him that it was only a matter of time before he lost control of his need and acted upon the desire and passion that raged in him for her. That was what he feared most, giving in to that need and causing Catherine pain and damage he could never undo.

He stood there on the balcony for nearly an hour, his back to the city. And suddenly he drew in his breath sharply, as though a dark, terrible blade had entered his body, severing his heart. "There. It is done," he breathed. "She is free."

~*~o~*~

Cathy had drunk too much champagne. It sailed through her blood, making her slightly lightheaded and very wild and uninhibited. "Your cologne," she said to Elliot as they lounged on the velvet, ebony sofa in his penthouse. "I don't remember it having such an effect on me before."

Elliot chuckled, his hand stroking up and down her arm very seductively. "I remember everything about our time together."

"You do? What do you remember most?" Cathy asked.

"This," he groaned, his lips bruising hers in a hungry kiss.

After a minute, Cathy pulled away dazzled, sinking in the heat of his dark-brown eyes. "Elliot, I-," she began, but her words trailed off when she noticed him staring at the prism she had grasped in the palm of her hand. It's uneven edges were cutting into her flesh, bruising her palm as her lips were now bruised from Elliot's kiss.

"What is that?" he asked, his words echoing again and again through her muddled brain, for all the alcohol she had consumed made it impossible to think straight.

"It was a gift," she said simply, holding the prism even tighter, protectively.

"From another man?" he asked, sounding extremely jealous.

"I'm with you, aren't I?" she said, watching the intensity of his gaze slowly start to lessen, until his brown eyes were once again burning with dark, smoldering passion.

His mouth took hers again in a fierce kiss, his body entwining with hers. *I'm with you, aren't I?* she repeated in her mind many times as his passionate kisses and caresses made her sense reel. But it wasn't Elliot she thought of as the fever became intense. Vincent. Vincent was the only man on her mind.

Elliot lifted Catherine up in his arms, carrying her to his bed. He slowly undressed her in the near darkness, kissing and caressing every inch of her silky skin. She suddenly pulled him down on top of her, kissing him deeply, her body eager to join with his. He barely had time to pull his clothes off, before she was again crushing his body against hers, her lips and hands seeking all his clothing had hidden. He groaned into her kiss. He couldn't remember Catherine being this passionate when they were husband and wife. She had quite obviously matured when it came to bedroom relations.

"Now," she said in a heated sob. "Please now!"

Elliot complied.


	7. Aftermath

_Author's Note: This is the love story of Vincent and Catherine. It also includes several other characters as well as their story lines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the T.V. show "Beauty and the Beast", yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story._

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own "Beauty and the Beast" or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

**~*~Aftermath~*~**

The next morning, Cathy was sick. She sat up in the bed, pulled away from Elliot, and retched on the white carpeting of his bedroom floor. "I think you had a bit too much to drink," he said with a knowing smile.

Her face was pale and she looked like she wanted to strangle him with the sheet. "I'm certain of it."

She kept her eyes downcast as the memories came back to her in a dark rush. The champagne... the kisses... the sex... Ohhh God, and it wasn't Elliot, but Vincent she had been thinking about during the entire episode! The gravity of it hit, and she was suddenly vomiting once again. This time on the bed, inches away from Elliot's naked form.

"Cathy, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She trembled and began to dress. The chain which held the prism tangled in her hair as she hurried to pull on her clothes. "I've got to get out of here," she muttered, unable to look Elliot in the eye another second.

Suddenly an awful thought crossed Cathy's mind. She couldn't even remember if Elliot had thought to use protection during their steamy encounter! *My God, I am not even on the Pill!* she lamented silently. *I haven't been with a man since... since I met Vincent.*

Vincent. Just the whisper of his name through her brain left her weak and full of remorse. How could she have slept with another man?!

It was then that her eye caught upon the small foil wrapper lying at the edge of bed near her shoes. She let out a deep sigh. At least Elliot had had the sense to use a condom!

"Cathy, don't go," Elliot pleaded as he watched her shoving her feet into her shoes.

She looked at him lying there in the twisted sheets, the dark hairs of his naked chest a bold reminder - a reminder of all that had passed between them - the feel of his rough chest hairs against the sensitive flesh of her breasts, the taste of his potent kiss, the sounds of her moans of pleasure... She couldn't take another moment of the memories. She had to escape. Now.

"Goodbye, Elliot. Don't call me again," she said coldly, quitting the room.

~*~o~*~

She went home and showered. Again and again she scrubbed her body, trying to wash away what had occurred with Elliot, the feel of his hands on her flesh. Sobs shook her as she rubbed vigorously, the water roaring over her head.

Finally she stepped from the shower stall, wrapped herself in a body-sized towel, and fell down upon her bed, clutching the prism tightly to her breast. "Ohhh Vincent, what have I done?" she cried. "What have I done to US?"

She slept then.

~*~o~*~

Darkness had fallen when Catherine awakened, and someone was beating persistently on her door. She cursed, dressed quickly, and ran to the door to see who it was. It was HIM! "Elliot, go away," she said in exasperation, trying to slam the door in his face.

"I'm in love with you, Cathy," he said, forcing the door open with his leg.

He looked deeply into her eyes, his hand coming forward as if to caress her cheek, but she brushed his hand away. She didn't miss the hurt glowing in the depths of his dark-brown eyes.

"It's over between us. Please go," she insisted. His hand dropped to his side, pressing against the fabric of his light gray overcoat. She watched as he turned on his heel and solemnly walked away. He moved slowly down the hallway and out of sight.

Cathy grabbed her purse off an end table, locked her door, and took the elevator to the basement. It was there that she found the hidden entrance which would take her into the tunnels Below, to Vincent. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she descended the ladder adjoining the tunnels to the secret opening in the wall of the basement. It felt as though her heart would burst from her chest when she made her way through the series of maze-like tunnels toward Vincent's chamber. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks.

There were footsteps sounding behind her. Someone had followed her Below! She spun around, seeing Elliot Burke standing there in the torch-light, a bewildered look upon his handsome face. She had never really noticed before, but he was extremely handsome, with rich, shoulder-length brown hair, eyes of deep chocolate, and a sexy short-cut beard and mustache. They had been married ten months, but she had never in all that time truly registered just how appealing the man was to her senses.

"Elliot!" she gasped. "What do you think you are doing... following me...?!"

"Cathy, please, I have to know...is there any hope? Is there any chance we will ever be together?" he asked urgently.

"No. I'm sorry. It can never be," she said frankly, watching the painful emotion sweep over his face.

"Is there someone else?"

"Yes," she said fervently. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," he replied, gazing at her just a second longer before retreating into the shadows and out of her life.

~*~o~*~

"Vincent!" Catherine cried, bursting into his candlelit chamber and flinging herself into his arms.

"Catherine," he sighed, breathing in the flowery scent of her hair.

"Ohhh Vincent. I'm so sorry," she whispered against his chest. "For ever doubting our dream. It's all that matters. Nothing matters but what we have."

He took her hands in his, pressing her back slightly to stare into her eyes. "Catherine..." he spoke, his blue eyes seeming to pierce her soul. "You needn't apologize. I, more than anyone, understand."

Her tears spilled then and Vincent wiped them away with his caress, taking her again into his arms. He crushed her close, his voice gentle as he began to recite a poem - a poem which was called "And Death Shall Have no Dominion" by Dylan Thomas.

_"...Though they sink through the sea  
>they shall rise again;<br>Though lovers be lost love shall not;  
>And Death shall have no dominion..."<em>


	8. All That Glitters Is Not Gold

~*~Chapter Eight : All that Glitters is not Gold~*~

Somehow they made it passed Catherine's transgression. As the days passed, they gave each other soothing words and soft caresses of comfort. It was as if they needed each other far more than ever. Catherine marveled at Vincent's gentle soul and his forgiving heart. His unfailing trust and precious forgiveness gave her the strength she needed to forgive herself.

They had made it passed the rough patches with love, and as they did, Vincent began to change. He seemed less uneasy about what their future might hold. They were one step closer to reaching their dream; Catherine was sure it. Very soon, they'd be together... in every sense of the word. All of their hopes and dreams would soon become a reality. She only had to be patient a little while longer. She told herself she must be patient and strong.

As she sat in her living room, contemplating what their future may bring and all of their dreams, she heard a sound on the balcony. It alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone. "Vincent!" she gasped with excitement, throwing open the French doors and walking out into the frigid air before even stopping to put on her winter coat.

A terrified scream left her throat as strong, beefy hands reached out to grasp her, wrapping tightly around her mouth to hold back her cries of fright. She stared up into the horrible face of a fierce barbarian. He was tall, with short, filthy hair and hated black eyes. He was fat and stout and smelled of unwashed flesh. He held her tightly, cutting off the air to her body. In moments, she fainted in his arms, her body limp like a wounded songbird. The savage grunted as he shifted her carelessly up into his arms. He tossed her over his back, then he carried her away into the night.

~*~o~*~

Vincent sat with Father, discussing Christmas festivities. "The children always love making all the decorations," Vincent reflected, his eyes moving over the many books which made up the main chamber where his father spent the majority of his time.

"Yes, and they are all so creative in their own way," spoke Father. "You were always a very creative child."

Vincent chuckled. "Yes, I remember..." Suddenly he stopped speaking as a look of pure terror crossed his face.

"Vincent? What is it?" Father asked anxiously.

"Catherine!" Vincent cried out, rising so quickly he overturned his chair. Before Father could utter another word, he had gone.

~*~o~*~

Vincent rushed to Catherine's apartment. He searched the balcony, yet found nothing amiss, aside from the French doors which were ajar. He pulled the doors closed, his eyes scanning every inch of the balcony for any sign of Catherine's fate. He knew without a doubt that something had happened here. He had felt Catherine's crushing fear, followed by a suffocating blackness which had left him unable to search her thoughts. "Where are you, Catherine?" he spoke into the icy air, but only the howling wind answered back. He knew he could do nothing to help her... nothing at all until the bond they had together was renewed. In that sorrowed moment, almost all hope was gone. There wasn't even a single clue; nothing that could lead him to Catherine.

Then he saw it glinting in the city lights - a tiny golden coin, lying upon Catherine's balcony. Vincent picked it up, staring at it as a sudden knowledge dawned.

"Paracelsus," he rasped.

~*~o~*~

Vincent returned Below to find a gathering in the main chamber. Father sat at the oval table, a piece of paper within his grasp. An expression of great sadness covered his aged face. Many of the dwellers who lived below passed Vincent a similar look of deep despair.

"It's Paracelsus. He has Catherine," Father said, handing Vincent a scribbled note.

Vincent's eyes passed over the brief message, his breath quickening as he thought of the evil man who claimed to be holding Catherine captive. Paracelsus had once lived Below. He had been one of the first to establish the underground world, along with Father. They had created their own version of utopia, but Paracelsus's lust for power and his intense greed for the gold found in the deep underground cavern had eventually lead to his banishment. Paracelsus had never forgiven Father for turning him out. He sought various means of horrifying revenge. Less than a year ago, he had came to Vincent, claiming to be Vincent's true father.

"The man you call Father lied to you, Vincent," the evil man had said. "There was a woman we both loved. Her name was Anna. Jacob married her, but I had her heart. He couldn't accept what she and I had together. Anna announced there was going to be a child, a child she and I had created together in love. Jacob banished me from Below, not because of the lies he told you, but because I slept with his wife! I came back, Vincent, just before you were born. All those lies he told you about you being abandoned outside St. Vincent's Hospital and how he found you there, they were meant to spare you from the hideous truth. You are my son! I saw you being born. I saw you rip and claw your way out of your mother's womb!"

Vincent had been tortured by Paracelsus's horrific tale, but Father had assured him that it wasn't true. There had been an Anna that they had both loved and Father had married, but Vincent was not her son. Anna had died from blood loss following a miscarriage long before Paracelsus's downfall. Father told Vincent he loved him like his own child, the child that he and Anna had never had.

Father saw the emotions crossing Vincent's face and knew the direction his thoughts were swiftly taking. "Paracelsus is striking out at me, through you," he said with great sadness.

"And he knew exactly just where to strike me the deepest- Catherine," Vince spoke, a frown of worry furrowing his brow.

"I fear for her, Vincent. I know the beast who has taken her. If she is not dead, then he has her wishing that she was," Father stated.

"She is not dead!" Vincent proclaimed thunderously. "I would know it if she were. But why... why do I have no sense of her?"

"What- what could this Paracelsus want?" asked a young woman named Jamie. She was only a teen, but very brave and wise for her age.

"He's taken Catherine, knowing in doing so he will draw Vincent to her aid. He seeks to punish me, through Vincent. He knows Vincent is my greatest pride. If he destroys Vincent, he shall win," Father explained, the strained look on his face showing his years.

"Don't worry, Father," Vincent soothed, touching his father's withered hand. "I'll go with care."

"Vincent!" Pascal called, bursting into the chamber, agitated and out of breath. "A message!"

"Message?" Vincent said, hope flaring in his heart.

"Yes, on the pipes!" Pascal replied.

"Show us," Vincent insisted.

~*~o~*~

Pascal took them to the old metal piping which twisted and turned into the dark caverns far below, the abandoned caverns long ago deemed unsafe and very seldom explored. To do so could prove fatal, for cave-ins could occur in the many unstable areas.

"There. Listen," Pascal urged, pointing to the beat-up silver piping. Vincent bent down, pressing his ear to the cold metal.

"One word again and again. 'Vincent,'" Vincent concluded. "It's in the old code... the one no longer used."

"Does Catherine know of the code?" Father asked.

"I've taught Catherine all of the codes. But Paracelsus knows the codes as well. In fact, he probably originated them."

"These pipes; they lead very far below. Two... possibly a three days journey," Pascal said. He was the explorer of the group, one of the few who had ever journeyed into the deepest caverns and returned to tell about it.

"You could take me there, to the source of this message?" Vincent asked.

Pascal nodded. "I could go with you, help you on your way," the little man offered, running a hand through his sparse grey hair. His light blue eyes expressed his deep concern as he spoke to Vincent. He very much wanted to help Vincent in his quest to rescue Catherine.

Winslow, a large, kindly black man stepped forward, approaching Vincent. "I, too, will go. You will need my help, my fighting skills."

"Thank you. I accept your aid," Vincent said to his two friends. "Go. Quickly pack a small bag of provisions for our journey."

The men went to gather their things as Father helped Vincent assemble a satchel of his own. A blanket served to carry food, a container of water, matches, and other necessities. A length of rope held the items within the blanket securely. Vincent tied the precious burden about his waist, his motions quick for he desperately wanted to get to Catherine and bring her back to safety.

"I will find her, Father," Vincent vowed, before joining Pascal and Winslow at the site where the message had been heard on the pipes. "Do not worry."

"I will pray for you, Vincent. And for Catherine," Father sighed, his dark blue eyes haunted with so much sorrow. Vincent touched Father's shoulder, then went to join the others.

Pascal and Winslow were ready to depart, but another figure was also waiting. "Jamie, what are you doing here?" Vincent asked.

"I'm going, too," she said stubbornly. "I want to help Catherine."

"No, Jamie. I can't let you go," Vincent insisted. "You are too young."

"Vincent, please-!"

"No!" he bellowed, his tone and stance embarking now further argument, so Jamie turned away, her shoulders slumped and her eyes full of disappointment.

~*~o~*~

Catherine was jarred awake bit by bit as she became increasingly aware of being carried over the huge body of the dark, muscular man who had abducted her from her balcony. The stench of the man's flesh was repulsive. He smelled of decay, body odor, and rotten meat. She did not struggle, nor did she reveal that she had regained consciousness. She was bidding her time until she could escape the heathen who had captured her.

Her greatest concern was for Vincent. She glanced about, and although her view was upside down, she knew she was being taken into the farthest reaches of the world Below. She also concluded that her captor most likely worked for Paracelsus. The evil man had other similar ruffian do wicked deeds for him in the past. Strangely, she felt very little fear for herself, but for Vincent. If Paracelsus were able to lure Vincent deep in the chasms far below, it would give him ample opportunity to slay Vincent and attain his much-wanted revenge on Father. Catherine knew then that she must carefully guard her thoughts and emotions, so she would not draw Vincent to her side.

To keep her mind off what was happening to her, she began to recite a poem again and again through her mind. It happened to be one of Vincent's favorite poems, Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare. He had recited it to her so many times, that she now had the verses memorized. Her only hope was that Vincent would pick up on the poem and not her underlying fear...

"When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,  
>And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,<br>And look upon myself and curse my fate,  
>Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,<br>Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,  
>Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,<br>With what I most enjoy contented least.  
>Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,<br>Haply I think on thee, and then my state,  
>Like to the lark at break of day arising<br>From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;  
>For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings<br>That then I scorn to change my state with kings."

Vincent, Winslow, and Pascal walked single-file upon the immense stone staircase which continued downward for miles into the forgotten underground. Each steep step was ancient and crumbling. No hand-rail existed to guide them on their way, only the cold-jagged wall which pressed sharply at their left sides as they passed.

"Be very careful," Pascal warned as they moved forward with caution. "The steps are greatly decayed. One false step and you're a goner."

"Vincent, have you any sense of Catherine yet?" Winslow asked, raising his lantern high to illuminate the staircase which lay ahead of him.

"No... only a poem..." Vincent replied, sounding greatly puzzled. "I keep hearing it over and over again in my head... as though she were reading it to me."

"What could it mean?" asked Winslow.

"I'm not certain," Vincent sighed deeply. "I only know we must find her."

"She will be found," Pascal assured as the trio traveled deeper and deeper into the darkness.

~*~o~*~

The animal who had abducted Catherine did not stop to eat or sleep. Once he threw her down on the moldy earth of a small cavern. He tossed her a canteen of water and a piece of stale bread. "Eat," he rasped, turning his back on her for a few moments. She held her breath to combat her fear, reciting the poem to herself incessantly while she bent to relieve herself upon the cool rock. She then forced the food down and gulped at the tepid water greedily, knowing it may be the only sustenance she would be allowed for a length of time. Suddenly her captor turned to glare at Catherine, reaching out as if to strangle her. She could hardly contain the fear that rose in her heart. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to block the image of his wicked face from her mind.

There was a terrible ripping sound as he severed the silver chain that held the prism around her neck with his vile, meaty hand. "No!" Catherine gasped, seeing him holding her beloved prism up before his eyes like a victory prize. A tear trailed down her face, knowing he had succeeded in taking the one possession she owned that was of any real worth.

He came forward, grabbing her in his brutal grip. He threw her over his shoulder once again, as though she were nothing more than a small sack of potatoes. As he continued on his journey, she struggled with all her might to set her emotions under control. Once again, she began to replay Sonnet 29 through her mind, praying beyond hope that Vincent would pick up on the poem. She did everything she could to remain calm as she was carried away into the darkness.

~*~o~*~

"She struggling," Vincent said to his companions that night as they stopped to rest awhile next to a small fire that they had built upon the floor of rock. "She struggles to keep her emotions from reaching me. I try to search for her feelings... for her thoughts, but her will is very strong. I can only find bits and pieces of what is in her heart."

"She is trying to protect you, Vincent," Winslow said. "She loves you very much."

"We must find her," Vincent said. "She needs me. Despite how she shields it, I can feel her longing for me. I must get to her."

"We will find her soon," said Pascal. "Maybe tomorrow."

"When we get to our destination, I want the two of you to go back... to safety. You've helped me so much; helped me find my way to Catherine, but I don't want to be responsible. If anything happens to either of you..." Vincent spoke, his voice heavy with concern for his companions.

"Don't worry, Vincent. We should all get some sleep. I'll take first watch," offered Winslow. "We have far to travel tomorrow."

As Vincent went to lie down and get some rest, his thoughts were with Catherine. *I hope we find you tomorrow,* Vincent spoke to her in his mind. *I promise; I WILL find you!*


	9. The Truth Beyond Words

**~*~Chapter Nine : The Truth Beyond Words~*~**

In Paracelsus's underground chamber, Catherine was given water to drink. She sipped at it greedily from a bowl, spilling it down her chin and onto the thin fabric of her shirt. She stared at the man wearing the gold mask, her eyes dark and wide with trepidation. "Why did you bring me here?" she questioned. "What exactly is it that you want?"

"I seek retribution. The man you call Father forced me from my home. He took everything from me. He has to pay for what he's done."

"Fifty people died because of you!" Catherine cried out.

Paracelsus shook his head. "That's not how it happened."

"I've heard the stories! I know what you did! Why did you bring me here?" she demanded. "Tell me what you want!"

"I want Vincent. He's all that stands between Father and me... in more ways than one."

Very slowly, he removed the mask, showing Catherine the ugly scars which marred his pale flesh. "This is why I must destroy Vincent," said Paracelsus. "He did this to me."

"I am not afraid," Catherine hissed.

"You will be. You see, Vincent is also coming here... to watch you die..."

He then called out to the muscular barbarian. "Erlik, see that Vincent continues on his journey... alone!"

~*~o~*~

Vincent and his friends had just arrived at the message's source upon the pipe. They were searching the area for any sign of Catherine or the one who had taken her. "I can see nothing through this haze," Vincent said, growling in frustration as he raised his lantern high. "Where can she be? Where has he taken her?"

Rising from the mist was the hideous face of the man who had taken Catherine from her balcony. He charged at Winslow, throwing him with all his strength against the jagged wall. Winslow was impaled on a sharp piece of rock. He was killed instantly upon impact. Pascal and Vincent watched what happened in horror. Immediately, Vincent attacked Paracelsus's minion, knocking him swiftly to the ground. Vincent slashed at him with deadly claws. In the same moment, from out of nowhere, Jamie appeared. She shot her arrows at Erlik as he broke away from Vincent. She had been following them the past three days.

"Thank you, Jamie... for saving my life," Vincent said, hugging her close once the threat was finally over.

Erlik had disappeared into the shadows. Now it was the time to grieve. Vincent, Jamie, and Pascal covered Winslow's body with a pile of rocks. Together, they labored to lay their friend to rest.

"He was a good friend," Pascal said in sorrow as they stood over Winslow's grave. "He will always be remembered, for his courage... his friendship and most of all, for his bravery."

Vincent kissed the top of Jamie's head as she quietly wept. "He would want you to go back with Pascal... to be safe. I will find Catherine. I promise you," he said. "Go now and tell everyone what has happened to Winslow."

Vincent said his goodbyes to his friends. With one last look at Winslow's grave, he continued on his journey. He was getting closer; he could feel it. He was getting closer to his Catherine.

~*~o~*~

Catherine could feel Vincent's presence. He was close... so very close. Somehow he had found her in this godforsaken place. As Erlik tied her hands in unbreakable bonds high above her head, Catherine leaned back against the rough, unyielding stone of the small cavern, thinking of Vincent. Would he get to her... or would he be too late? As instructed, Erlik lay dead roots and dried twigs at Catherine's feet. It was just a matter of time. Soon the tiny cavern would be overtaken in a million dancing flames. Catherine knew she could not survive the deadly inferno. All she could do now was hope that Vincent would come... so that she could look upon him one last time. She hoped that she could have one last glimpse of him. When she saw Vincent's blessed face, she could die happy. If only she could be in his arms one final time...

Paracelsus came to survey his minion's work. He looked at Catherine as she stared back at him, appearing brave and completely unafraid. He was astounded by her courage; her undying strength. "It won't be long now," he uttered.

"I'm not afraid to die," Catherine spoke up. "All I feel is sadness... about you and the world you helped to create. All you want to do now is destroy and that is tragic. Everything about you; it is a tragedy."

"You're wrong," he said, shaking his head. "After all these years, I'm finally going to reclaim what is mine. I am going home."

Catherine shook her head. She did not say a word, but in her mind, she was feeling the nearness of Vincent.

*He's coming! Vincent's coming!* Catherine thought as their bond gave her a renewed sense of peace. *Whatever happens, Vincent will be here soon. We'll see this out... together.*

~*~o~*~

Vincent was on a wooden raft, crossing an underground stream. The strength of their connection told him that Catherine was somewhere very close. He could actually hear her heartbeat pounding in his ears as it called out to him. He had to get to her. He had to find her. He had to keep the woman he loved safe.

*Catherine, I'm coming,* he spoke to her through their bond. *I will be there soon. I promise you. Hold on.*

After crossing the stream, Vincent came to a series of tunnels which lead deep into the earth. Footsteps appeared in the soft sand. He followed the prints into the forgotten chasms.

The mists rose up as he got closer and closer to his goal. Catherine. She was so near now, he could feel her. *I'm coming,* his heart called out to hers.

He rounded the corner and almost ran into a skeletal figure, hanging from cavern wall. It was dressed in tattered clothes. Something bright caught at Vincent's eyes, nearly blinding him in the lantern's pale light. The prism! The corpse was wearing the prism he had given to Catherine!

He snatched the prism off the corpse, holding it tight. The skeleton hadn't frightened him. The prism had given him hope. He was sure that it's love and it's light would lead him to Catherine. With a renewed sense of optimism, Vincent continued on his search. Each step he took brought him closer to Catherine; his destiny. He would be there soon, he was sure of it. He was coming... coming to his Catherine...

When Vincent burst into Paracelsus's chamber, he found many lit candles. There was so much light, it stung at his eyes. For a moment, Vincent could not speak, even though he stood face to face with his nemesis, Paracelsus. "Better to reign in hell than to serve in Heaven, eh, Vincent?" taunted Paracelsus.

"Where is Catherine?" Vincent questioned.

"She's alive... and well. For now," said Parcelsus. "But if you come any closer, she's dead."

"Where is Catherine?" Vincent urgently repeated.

"Directly below you," Paracelsus replied.

Vincent immediately jumped down to the next level of caverns, to the area in which Paracelsus's minion was lighting the twigs and roots on fire which surrounded Catherine. The kindling caught flame in a heartbeat. The fire shot up, licking at Catherine's exposed flesh.

She let out a scream as Vincent attacked the heathen whom had kidnapped her. She tugged at her bounds as Vincent and Erlik fought. Vincent's claws met the man's flesh, tearing into his tender skin. As Erlik's blood soaked the ground, Catherine struggled to get away from the flames. The fire was becoming stronger, singeing her hair and her clothing. Knowing her end was near, she screamed out in desperation.

"Vincent!"

In that moment, Vincent was ripping the ruffian's throat out. As Paracelsus's minion fell to the floor, dead, Vincent made a mad dash toward Catherine. She was choking on the smoke as he released her from the bonds and carried her away to safety. "Breathe deeply," he urged. She was struggling for air.

Catherine continued to choke on the thick smoke which remained in her lungs. Vincent held her, tenderly soothing her with his touch. In that moment, lost in their sweet reunion, they did not realize that Paracelsus was escaping into the tunnels. He got away, but not before he vowed to get his revenge. "You haven't seen the last of me, Vincent. You, Father... and Catherine will pay..." The voice of scarred man met empty air before he disappeared into the shadows.

"Paracelsus," Catherine said in a hoarse voice.

"He's gone, Catherine," Vincent said as he lifted her in his arms. At that point in time, he only cared about her. He had to get her to safety. He was taking her home to heal her.

"I am okay, Vincent. It's going to be okay," she said with reassurance as he carried her out of Paracelsus's lair.

He said nothing as he held her against him. "Are you hurt?" he asked softly as he looked down at her with tenderness.

They were in the tunnels now; the mists swirling around Vincent's feet.

"I am fine. Just tired.. and thirsty..."

"I'm going to take care of you, Catherine. You're going to be alright."

"I just need you. Now that you are here with me, everything's fine."

She didn't say another word. Now that she felt protected and safe, she had fallen asleep in his arms. Vincent held her close, gazing down at her with love.

When she woke up again, she was seated by a fire. Vincent was close, warming himself next to the flames. Clutching the blanket around her, she settled herself in her love's embrace. "Thank you for coming for me," she whispered.

Very tenderly, Vincent pressed the prism into Catherine's hand. "I believe this is yours," he said.

"Ohhh thank you," she said as tears glowed in her eyes. "I thought... I thought I'd never see it again."

"Catherine," Vincent spoke, his voice stumbling slightly as he searched for the words. "When you were taken from me, when we were apart, I thought you were... lost to me somehow. I could not feel you."

"I would not let you, Vincent. I could not let you feel my fear."

"Your will is very strong. You sacrificed so much... for me," he spoke with tenderness in his tone.

"I would sacrifice everything for you..."

As she gazed into his eyes, her heart overflowed.

"Father told me there is a truth; a truth beyond words... beyond everything we could ever hope to know... and that truth is love," he stated. "I love you, Catherine. More than anything that I have ever known is my love for you..."

"Ohhh Vincent. I love you, too."

Her face was smudged. Her clothing was covered in a thick, dark soot.

"Shall we bathe in the water of the stream?" Vincent suggested.

"I would like that," she said. She blushed just a bit and gave him a gentle smile.

He reached out for her hand. Very slowly, they walked toward the edge of the water. Catherine went in wearing her clothing, but Vincent stripped off his garments. He wore nothing more but his thin, linen pants. Delicately, Catherine placed her foot in the water. She discovered to her surprise that it was the perfect temperature... not too hot... and not too cold. "I love it," she said. Together, they sunk slowly into the soothing depths of the underground stream.

The water refreshed her. It tenderly caressed her skin. Catherine felt soothed.

She pressed her weary body against Vincent's large frame. "I could stay here with you forever," she said in a whisper.

As she held him, under the water, she was closer to Vincent than she had ever been before. She could feel the hard length of his body as it was touching hers. "Can I stay with you Below now? Can we be together?" Catherine asked hopefully, looking up into his eyes. Part of her prayed he'd say 'yes,' that he would relent and they could be together. She was hoping that their dream would come true, but deep inside she had a feeling he would refuse. As she waited for his answer, Catherine held tight to that moment, waiting and hoping beyond hope.

"Catherine," he spoke, his voice deep and full of so much sorrow. "You'd be too much of a temptation. Having you so near..."

"Vincent, we deserve to be happy. We deserve this..."

Softly, she began to caress his body. Her fingers tangled in the warm pelt which was his fur.

"Do not do this. You know all my reasons," he said, but he did not make a single move to stop her explorations.

"You need me... just as much as I need you."

She pressed her full length against his. For just a moment, she forgot to breathe. She needed him... She needed_this_. Her hand explored lower, finding that part of him beneath his breeches. It was surging with life and desire.

"You must not do this," he warned... but then his voice faded into nothing. She had taken his breath away. She boldly gave him the caress of lovers.

"Catherine!" he gasped. He fairly roared when she brought him to ecstasy.

At the same moment he reached his climax, Catherine raised up on her tiptoes. She attempted to kiss him.

Vincent turned his head to the side, not allowing the contact. "We cannot," he denied. "It would make me lose my mind. I might... hurt you.."

"You could never hurt me, Vincent. I don't think you could ever hurt me."

He turned her around in his arms with sudden swiftness, pressing his full length against her sensitive backside. She could feel his impossibly large tip as it pressed against the curve of her buttock. Vincent's caresses had moved down her body. They teased slowly over her breasts, then down to the juncture between her thighs.

She was aching, melting upon a cloud of the sweetest desire. "Please," she begged. She wanted it so bad. She wanted it more than air... more than anything she had ever known.

Hearing her sweet voice, pleading with need, Vincent could not wait another moment. His touch gave her the sweetest release. She went suddenly limp within the strength of his arms. She would have dissolved into the water, had he not been holding her.

"Are you alright, Catherine?" he asked after the moment passed.

"I'm wonderful," she said. She was still floating on a cloud of blessed release. Vincent had given her pleasure unlike any she had ever know... although they hadn't came together yet, in every sense of the word.

What would happen when they did? Would it be so much more? Catherine was certain it would be everything.

Vincent lifted her out of the water and carried her in his arms. Very gently, he placed her next to the fire as she pulled him down by her side. Despite the happiness in her heart, she could see the doubts shining in his expressive, blue eyes.

"Vincent, what happened here, you must never regret what we shared. It was exactly what you wanted... and what I wanted, too."

"But Catherine-."

"I love you, Vincent."

She caught his chin and stared into his eyes. She wouldn't let him turn away.

"There will be more," she promised. "There has to be. Someday there will be more."

She wished she could take his fears away. She wished she had the power to grant him sweet hope. She wanted everything they had dreamed of ... a life together, so happy. She knew it was meant to be. Somehow, she just had to make Vincent trust in it, too. She wanted him to believe in himself.

"You would never hurt me, Vincent. I know that." With a tender finger, she slowly traced the fullness of lips.

"We're one step closer now... to our dream." His heart turned over at her whisper.

He crushed her close against his chest, against his pounding heart, but he did not speak.

*What did I ever do to deserve such a dream?* he asked himself as he held her in his arms.


	10. Thorns & Roses

**~*~Chapter Ten : Thorns & Roses~*~**

It was the two year anniversary of the night Vincent found Catherine in the park. As Vincent sat on the edge of Catherine's balcony, looking out at the lights of the city, he thought, *I look out on the city and tonight, I am one with it. I see the pathways and crossroads; the rush of possibilities. I feel every point of light that I see, each with it's own wonders and terrors. I see how in a single night, a world can be transformed. In one terrifying and wondrous moment, my world was transformed. On a night as dark and glittering as this, I found Catherine...*

Catherine was lighting dozens of candles in anticipation of their special night. She couldn't wait to spend it with Vincent. When she saw that he had appeared on the balcony, she rushed out to greet him, a smile on her face. "Two years ago tonight..." she said with sparkling eyes. "I thought we could go inside tonight, by the fire. It's warm."

Vincent hesitated. He was about to answer when Catherine's telephone rang. Before she could go inside, the answering machine had taken the call.

It was Jenny's voice. "Catherine, pick up the phone if you are there," she said.

Giving Vincent an apologetic look, Catherine stepped into her bedroom so she could talk to Jenny. Vincent stood at the door, waiting quietly for her to return.

"Ohhh Cathy, I am so glad you answered," said Jenny on the phone. "I was so worried..."

"Jenny, what's wrong?" Catherine asked.

"I had this terrible nightmare... You were in it."

"I'm fine."

From his vantage point across the busy New York City street, a man was watching... and waiting. He was staring across the street at Catherine's balcony. He saw Vincent on the balcony and he saw Catherine with the door open, talking on the phone. Through the telescopic lens, he could see everything, just as he had so many nights before. He had been watching and spying for days now... Tonight he was lying in wait.

After reassuring Jenny she was perfectly fine, Catherine hung up the phone. She returned to Vincent's side. She was about to tell him about the phone call when the telephone rang again. Once again, she politely excused herself. Quietly then, she went into her bedroom to answer the call.

"Hello," she said into the receiver.

"Cathy, I can see you..." said a male voice that chilled her to the bone. "...And I can see him, too."

Catherine's eyes widened in horror. Who the hell was this? He could see Vincent?!

She replaced the receiver on the hook and ran to Vincent's side. "Vincent!" she gasped. "Someone is watching! You have to get off the balcony."

Vincent stared at her in disbelief. "Please Vincent..." she implored. "I'll meet you Below."

After Vincent left, Catherine hurried inside, locking the French doors behind her. As she was leaving her apartment, the telephone rang. As she pressed the receiver to her ear, a creepy voice ordered, "Open the drapes." Catherine nearly dropped the phone.

~*~o~*~

Down Below, Vincent was pacing. "Do you know who it could be?" he asked.

Catherine shook her head. "I've been getting prank calls," she stated.

"Catherine!" he gasped. "You need to tell someone... the police..."

"I can't go to the police. We don't know what he has on us. Maybe he has pictures," Catherine said in torment. "The balcony isn't safe anymore. That was the only part of my world that belonged to US!"

"I won't let him destroy it!" Catherine said in torment as she went into Vincent arms. She was very distraught at he held her. He kissed her hair, inhaling her sweet scent as she trembled.

"It will be alright," he whispered. And he prayed that it would be.

~*~o~*~

The next day at work Catherine was sitting at her desk, listening to an audio tape of the prank caller's recorded messages. "I didn't like your hair. Don't wear it that way again," said the man's voice.

"I like that red sweater you wore, but I didn't like the blue one," he complained on the tape.

Joe walked by Catherine's desk. "Radcliffe, is something wrong?" he asked. He had noticed how terribly distracted she had been. The past few days, Catherine hadn't been herself. He knew her well enough to know that something was bothering her.

Catherine didn't have a chance to answer Joe's question. Jenny showed up unexpectedly, asking her to go to lunch. "I really need to talk to you," Jenny insisted.

"Let's go then," Catherine said. She grabbed her purse and her sweater.

At a little Italian restaurant across from the office, Jenny insisted she tell Catherine about her dream. "Come on, Jenn, not all your bad dreams come true," Catherine said with a smile.

"I don't want to take any chances," Jenny said. "You were... I don't know where you were, but there were flowers all around you. And then... all of the sudden, the lights went out and you were in the dark. You were trying to move, but you couldn't... and there was this hand. It wasn't connected to anything... and it was trying to touch you. And uhhh you wanted to scream... but you couldn't."

Catherine's smile faded. After a moment of absorbing Jenny's words, she did her best to lighten the mood. In an attempt at humor, she said, "If a severed hand comes at me, trust me, I am gonna scream."

Jenny continued on with what she remembered from the dream. "So uhhh you started running, from someone or to someone... and you couldn't breathe."

"Then what happened?"

"I woke up."

"I've been getting these... prank calls," said Catherine. "They are so scary. If I find out who he is, I'm gonna strangle him, then your dream will have a happy ending."

Catherine smiled at Jenny as she gave a nervous laugh. All of that faded when Jenny said, "Ohhh my God, I can't believe you said that... I didn't want to tell you, but in my dream, you couldn't breathe. There was something around your neck. You were being strangled. You died, Cathy."

*You died, Cathy,* the words echoed over and over again in Catherine's head. She had to solve the mystery of who had been watching her and leaving those calls. Perhaps her very life depended on it...

When she returned to work there was a bouquet of bright red roses on her desk. The attached card said, "You're starting to feel me with you, aren't you? Could you feel me in your bedroom last night? I was there, watching you..." Horrified, Catherine dropped the card upon the floor.

She showed up in Joe's office, trembling from head to toe. She had really had enough. She couldn't take anymore and she wanted it to stop. She wanted the calls and the harassment to end immediately.

"Joe," she said. "I keep getting these calls..."

"What kind of calls?" he prompted.

"From some guy. Some creepy psycho."

"Call the police!"

"I can't. Joe, I don't... I don't want the police involved. I've ordered a tracing unit, but I don't know if he will stay on long enough to trace the call."

"Is this guy threatening you? What's he been saying?"

"He says, 'I like your sweater; I hate your hair.'"

"What's this guy got on you?" Joe asked with worried expression.

"My phone number. My address."

"Where's your gun?"

"I keep it in my nightstand."

"Carry it in your purse... at all times. You can't be too careful."

~*~o~*~

That night Catherine met Vincent on the roof of her apartment building. Both of their expressions showed their pain and all their worry. "He sent me flowers," Catherine stated. "He knows about you. About us. Until we find out what he wants..."

"He wants you, Catherine," Vincent breathed.

"Vincent, you have to stay away."

"I can feel your fear. How can I leave you alone?"

"I can handle fear," she said. "But what I cannot bear is losing you. If anything happened to you..."

Tears fell as she went into his arms. He could feel their heat against his fur. He held her close as he attempted to comfort her and end her pain,

"Come Below tonight," he urged. "Stay with me."

"I can't. I can't let him do that to me. We are alone in this, Vincent," she told him sadly. "Completely and utterly alone."

~*~o~*~

When she returned to her apartment, Catherine had another message. The man said, "Why aren't you there? You're with him, aren't you? Of course you are... Why do I even ask? Whore! No more, okay, Cathy? No more!"

Catherine was visibly shaken. She was trembling as she walked into her bedroom. It had been a long day and she was in need of a relaxing shower.

A few minutes later as she stood under the hot spray, soaping herself, an intruder stepped inside her apartment. He walked inside, as if he owned the place. He entered her bedroom and opened a dresser drawer. He pulled out a lacy pair of white panties. He pressed the silken fabric against his nose, inhaling it's flowery scent. With a wicked grin on his face, he began searching the place, knocking over various items in his haste. Catherine's circular jewelry box went crashing to the floor.

Catherine heard a crash. She wrapped up in a robe, leaving the water running as she stepped from the shower. She found a sharp pair of scissors in a bathroom drawer. She grabbed them in her fist for protection as she cautiously went to search the bedroom.

The balcony doors were wide open, the curtains swaying the breeze. A huge bouquet of bright red roses lay against the pillows, another unwelcome gift from her uninvited guest. Her gun was missing from the nightstand drawer!

All over the apartment she searched, but there was no sign of the intruder. A sudden knock at the door scared her to death. "Who is it?" she called out.

"It's me," said a voice. "Joe."

When she opened the door, she was frantic. "He's been here! He took my gun!" she said urgently.

Joe called the police despite Catherine's protests. The cops came to search the place from top to bottom, but found nothing. There weren't any solid clues to tell them who had been in Catherine's apartment. The building superintendent came to put a new lock on Catherine's door. As the police were leaving, Catherine thanked the investigator for not filing a report.

"I can stay tonight," said Joe. "I'll sleep on your couch."

"No, Joe, I am fine," Catherine insisted, her hair still damp from her earlier shower.

"Why not?"

She stared back, refusing to answer his question. "I'll lock the door," she promised.

"Do one better than that. Put a couch in front of it," he said.

After Joe left, she finally slept. She lay on the couch with a fireplace poker in her hand. She had no clue that across the street a man was holding her panties. He examined her jewelry box he had taken. He set the jewelry box down so he could watch her through the telescope. He only stopped to play with a bottle of chloroform. "I have plans for you," he spoke in a deadly voice. "Just wait, Cathy. I am coming. I am coming for you now."

~*~o~*~

Catherine awakened in the middle of the night. She had hardly gotten any sleep. She had slept in her clothes. She kept hearing his voice in her head, tormenting her.

She sat up on the couch because she needed some fresh air. Every muscle of her body ached as she walked toward the door. She locked up as she left the apartment. She was headed toward the elevator. When it didn't come up fast enough, she decided to take the stairs.

Joe arrived on the elevator. He had just missed Catherine by a couple of minutes. Coffee mug in hand, he went to sit down in a chair next to Catherine's door. He was going to keep watch until morning. He cared about her far too much to leave her unprotected.

In the stairwell, Catherine heard footsteps and strange noises. From Below, Vincent was alerted to her fear and danger. Not knowing what to do, Catherine began to walk down the stairs faster. She had to get to Vincent. She needed to see him now!

As he sipped his coffee, Joe was alerted to Catherine's danger as well. Catherine's telephone rang and rang, but she did not answer. He stood up, staring at her door. She was in danger! Why wasn't she answering her phone?

"Catherine!" he yelled. When she didn't answer the door and the phone continued to ring, Joe did the only thing he could do- he kicked in the door.

When the door gave way, Joe burst in the apartment. He rushed inside, looking for Catherine. The apartment was empty. He ran to the phone. "Hello," he said, expecting to hear the voice of the pervert who had for weeks been tormenting Catherine. Instead, it was Jenny.

"Cathy's in trouble," she said with urgency.

Catherine had reached the bottom of the stairwell. She pushed open the heavy iron door. She was walking to her car when a man grabbed her, placing a handkerchief soaked in chloroform against her mouth. Catherine began to struggle in his tight grip.

Suddenly then, Vincent went wild. He snarled ferociously before running off to Catherine's aid.

In the parking garage, the man held Catherine very close. "You were going to him, weren't you?" he asked. "You'll spread your legs for him, but not for me. No more, Cathy." Catherine went suddenly unconscious in his arms. Cradling her like a child, the man carried Catherine to his car. He placed her in the passenger's seat, then proceeded to drive away.

At that moment, Vincent showed up. He tried to attack the moving vehicle, but he was struck by the front bumper. He smacked against the windshield, then he was tossed on the ground beside the car. Joe arrived just in time to see the car speed away. He was calling in the license plate number. He had no clue that Vincent was lying on the ground, stunned, the wind knocked out of him.

After Joe was out of sight, Vincent rose to his feet, unhurt. He had to get to Catherine. He dashed off into the night. He ended up on top of a subway, holding on for dear life. It was the fastest way to get to Catherine. Her life was in danger.

He rushed to the place Catherine had been taken, discovering it was a lake. The moonlight glittered off the water as the man spoke to Catherine in a deep, creepy voice. "I like it here," he said. "I used to play here when I was a kid. Now you'll be here. And I'll come visit you." He placed Catherine in the trunk of the vehicle. She was unconscious as he closed the lid. She didn't come to as he began pushing the car into the lake.

Catherine awakened just as Vincent neared the edge of the lake. She was gasping for air as the car was submerged. She struggled with all her strength to get out, but she couldn't lift the lid of the trunk. Vincent roared as the man appeared before him. "Too late," said the psychotic man. "You're too late."

Vincent slashed him across the throat, pulverizing his face with his deadly claws. The man fell to the ground, dead. He'd never hurt anyone again.

Catherine was in a place surrounded by mist. She wasn't struggling to breathe anymore. She was safe... She was free! She could see her mother in the mist, holding out her arms to her. "Cathy," her mother said, a happy smile upon her face.

Catherine took several steps, reaching out toward her mother. She was getting closer. Was she dead?

Vincent leaped on the back of the car, prying off the heavy door of the trunk. Effortlessly, he tossed it away. He pulled Catherine from the trunk's interior, holding her close and carrying her in his arms, away from the lake. He held her against his body as he wrapped her in his cloak.

"Don't die on me, Catherine," he implored in a broken voice. "I need you."

At that moment, she took a deep, ragged breath. She was shivering. He held her closer. She was breathing again!

She opened her eyes, staring into the two pools of beloved blue. "I love you," she said.

He cuddled her close until the sirens came... then without a word, he was gone.

~*~o~*~

Joe arrived later when they were giving her coffee in the ambulance. Someone had spotted the vehicle earlier at the lake. Catherine refused to tell the police how she had gotten out of the car. "Joe, could you please take me home?" she asked as he gave her a fierce hug.

When they arrived later at Catherine's apartment, Joe and Jenny were both fussing over Catherine. "I'm alright," Catherine tried to tell her friends. "I'm just tired."

"I should stay with you tonight," Jenny said as she held Catherine's hand.

Catherine tried to protest, but Joe insisted, "YES! You really scared me tonight, Radcliffe."

Feeling assured that Jenny was staying with Catherine, Joe finally left. Now Catherine just had Jenny to contend with. "Jenn," Catherine said gently. "I am not going to be alone."

A sudden realization dawned. A huge smile brightened up Jenny's face. "Ohhh well, in that case..." she said.

Catherine hugged Jenny tightly and then she too finally left.

She didn't waste another second. She turned off all the lights and ran toward the balcony doors. She threw them open and tossed her self into Vincent's embrace.

"I felt you go... " he said. "I felt you leave me."

They were hugging, their bodies pressed together ever so close. "Hold me tighter," she urged.

After the moment passed, they lit candles to celebrate the postponement of their special night. She said, "Someone else could be watching... but we can't let that stop us now."

He replied, "You're right. They might... This balcony is our window, our vantage point."

He stared out at the city lights and said, "Perhaps, Catherine, someone behind one of those lights is watching and they are smiling on us."

A smile came to Catherine's face. "Perhaps they are," she said.

Not another word was spoke as Vincent carried her to bed. As he lay her down against the pillows, her thoughts were on all the flowers the prank caller had left. Vincent, who was forever sensing her thoughts, began to recite a poem.

_somewhere I have never travelled,gladly beyond  
>any experience,your eyes have their silence:<br>in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me  
>or which I cannot touch because they are too near<em>

_your slightest look easily will unclose me  
>though I have closed myself as fingers<br>you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens  
>(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose<em>

_or if your wish be to close me, I and  
>my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly,<br>as when the heart of this flower imagines  
>the snow carefully everywhere descending;<em>

_nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals  
>the power of your intense fragility:whose texture<br>compels me with the color of its countries  
>rendering death and forever with each breathing<em>

_(i do not know what it is about you that closes  
>and opens;only something in me understands<br>the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)  
>nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands<em>

"Such a beautiful poem," she said. "E.E. Cummings."

"Yes," he said, giving her a little smile.

They held each other in the silence. "How do you feel now?" he finally asked.

"Grateful," she replied.

"We have endured much."

"We have," she agreed. "And I know, Vincent, that whatever happens now, we will endure. We will."

Somewhere in the night, in the quiet stillness, they reached out to each other as lovers. No words were spoken as their clothing came off. They held each other as they caressed and shuddered as One.

When the passion became intense, Vincent loved Catherine with his lips and tongue. His mouth gave her pleasures unlike any she'd ever known. That wonderful muscle, satiny on one side; with the texture of sandpaper on the other, licked and teased and tasted. It caused Catherine to cry out her joy when she reached her climax.

Vincent tasted the sweet rain of her desire, drinking it up as he delved his tongue into her juicy folds. She quivered, the last of her orgasm fading away. She was floating on a cloud as he kissed his way back up her body, his soft fur brushing against her sensitive flesh.

"Vincent, I want..."

He didn't let her finish. He was brushing his warm mouth against her breast. His tongue moved against her nipple, making her forget everything but his passionate caress.

She twined her fingers in his fur, exploring, moving her hands lower, toward her goal. He was hard, so thick and surging with desire. She began to stroke him as his body stiffened. He was in such great need of her touch.

She crooned to him as if soothing him. She wanted to give him the same pleasure he had given her. When she took him in her mouth, he shuddered. He had never felt anything like it all his life. As she loved him with her lips and tongue, he made a sound of satisfaction deep within his throat. It sounded somewhere between a growl and a purr. He was suddenly erupting, spilling his essence down her throat. She took every hot drop, tasting it on her hungry tongue.

When the passion ended and their bodies cooled, Catherine lay in Vincent's arms. They were falling asleep, holding each other close. Catherine realized in that moment that this was just the beginning of their dream...


End file.
